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blessed to be here,” Stephanie Murray said.
Winter is quiet at the lake but summer is
“really busy,” Stephanie Murray said. The
lake is no more than 9 feet deep at its deep-
est, so it gets warm in the summer.
“It’s a really good kayaking lake. Peo-
ple come out and paddle board,” Stephanie
Murray said. “We get a lot of people water
skiing, boating, tubing and jet skiing.”
The lake is also a good bass fishing
lake and is stocked annually in May with
1,000 trout. There are seasonal bass fishing
tournaments.
Both the Gearhart and Seaside fire
departments train on jet skis at Cullaby
Lake. The U.S. Coast Guard trains for heli-
copter water rescues in October.
The park’s north and south shelters get
booked throughout summer with weddings,
parties, reunions. There are lawns, a play-
ground and roped off swimming area next
to the north shelter, and a sandy swimming
beach next to the south shelter. In the last
weekend of June, the park hosted hydro-
plane races.
“It’s awesome,” Stephanie Murray said.
“It’s the small hydroplane races. It’s the
only time we let camping here in the park-
ing lot.”
There are two hiking trails along the
park including the long ridge trail through
the woods. Bear and coyote sightings have
been reported there. Bald eagles, osprey
and blue herons frequent the lake.
One of the trails has a viewing platform
near the open marsh and also opens up to
an old paved road.
“The old Grand Prix Race Track was
along that old asphalt road,” Stephanie
Murray said.
That’s not the only history of the park.
A log home built by Erik Lindgren in the
1920s is on the park’s property. On the day
of their annual clean up and picnic in early
June, several volunteers, guided by Greg
Jacob, with Lucien Swerdloff, help clean
the grounds as well as the inside of the spa-
cious cabin, which has four side rooms in
addition to the large main room. There is a
sauna and an outhouse.
Jacob, a retired English professor from
Portland State University, and author of
the book “Fins, Finns and Astoria,” is also
president of the local Finlandia Founda-
tion and helped to organize the volunteers.
Swerdloff, Professor of Historic Preserva-
tion at Clatsop Community College, some-
times brings students to the cabin to prac-
tice restoration.
At the smaller, 30 acre Carnahan
County Park, Liam Carson finds the dock
at Carnahan Park a good place to kayak
and fish.
“Fishing off the lake’s always good,” he
Linda Hoard
Author Greg Jacobs, left, and professor Lucien
Swerdloff stand in front of the Lindgren Cabin.
Linda Hoard
Bill Murray, left, and Stephanie Murray are camp hosts.
Carolyn Hoard
said. “I catch lots of little perch, blue gills,
occasionally trout, occasionally bass.”
He shared that the Carnahan Park is
often less crowded than the larger Cullaby
Lake Park. He said there is a good hiking
path through the woods which starts off the
parking area.
Carson added that the park is a great
fishing spot for children, as there is a lot
of small fish. He described the lake as “a
good pan fishing lake.”
“The park could be improved by having
some life saving devices,” he added.
Whether you enjoy fishing, the splash
and speed of jet skis and watering skiing,
or the quiet of kayaks and paddle boards,
a refreshing swim on a warm summer day,
a forested hike, or a sheltered place for a
gathering with family and friends, Cul-
laby Lake and Carnahan County Parks are
indeed hidden gems worth exploring.
Linda Hoard
Liam Carson, a local fisherman.
A playground next to the lake.
Emily Lindblom
Lilypads in bloom.
THURSDAY, JULY 8, 2021 // 9